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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrbsoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/diskharrowOOinterich 


The  farmer  is  the 
biggest  man  in  the 
world.  Business  sur- 
vives or  perishes  with 
him.  Times  are  good 
or  bad  in  proportion 
as  the  farmer  raises 
more  or  less.  The 
tremendous  responsi- 
bility of  continuous 
good  times  rests 
upon    his   shoulders 


I 


-fl 


INTRODUCTORY 

This  edition  of  "The  Disk  Harrow"  is  presented  to  its 
readers  with  the  hope  that  its  contents  will  be  thoroughly 
digested,  and  that  part  assimilated  which  will  be  of 
special  value  to  each  individual  reader. 

The  contributors  are  situated  in  different  parts  of 
the  country.  Their  statements  prove  that  while  the  soil 
conditions  are  different  in  each  locality,  yet  the  principle 
underlying  the  preparation  of  the  seed  bed  is  one  and  the 
same  all  over  the  universe.  It  is  simply  a  matter  of 
understanding  the  fundamental  principle  and  then  ap- 
plying this  knowledge  to  local  conditions. 

Each  contributor  is  a  man  of  wide  experience  in 
the  field  of  agronomy.  He  has  also  made  special  study 
of  the  use  of  the  disk  harrow  in  the  locality  where  he  is 
situated.  Several  of  them  are  fully  acquainted  with 
conditions  in  many  different  states.  For  this  reason 
farmers  can  feel  assured  that  these  men  have  a  message 
of  value  to  them 


Copyrighted  1913 

I  H  C  SERVICE  BUREAU 
INTERNATIONAL  HARVESTER  COMPANY  OF  AMERICA 

(Incorporated) 
CHICAGO  USA 

A  174  C 


The  Disk  Harrow 

By  F.  B.  LiNFiELD 

Superintendent  of  Montana  Agricultural  Experiment  Station 

There  are  some  farm  implements  for 
the  cultivation  of  the  soil  which  seem 
almost  indispensable  on  the  farms  of  this 
Western  country.  They  are  the  plow, 
the  disk  harrow,  and  the  drag  harrow. 
With  these  tools  alone,  practically  all  the 
farmers  can  prepare  a  good  seed  bed,  and 
control  the  weeds.  Their  work  may  at 
times  be  supplemented  to  advantage  by 
other  tools,  but  these  three  cannot  be 
replaced. 

In  our  Western  agriculture,  next  to 
the  plow,  the  disk  harrow  is  the  most  valuable  tool  employed 
on  the  farm.  It  is  generally  the  first  tool  used  after  the  plow, 
when  it  performs  a  two-fold  work.  First,  it  pulverizes  the 
turned-over  soil;  and  second,  it  in  a  measure  packs  the  sub- 
surface onto  the  subsoil,  and  makes  a  fine  but  firm  seed  bed. 
The  disk  is  nearly  always  lapped  one-half,  so  as  to  leave  the 
ground  level.  If  the  soil  is  quite  loose,  the  disks  are  set  at  a 
slight  angle,  while  if  the  ground  is  firm  the  disks  are  set  at  a 
wider  angle  so  as  to  cut  deeper. 

We  find  that  this  double  disking  after  the  plow,  leaves  the 
soil  in  fine  condition  for  the  best  action  of  the  drag  harrow  in 
further  pulverizing  the  surface  soil. 

In  plowing  sod  in  the  dry  bench  lands  in  the  Western 
country,  a  heavy  corrugated  roller  or  packer  puts  the  sod 
down  firmly  on  the  subsoil,  but  if  such  tools  are  not  available 
the  disk  makes  a  very  good  substitute.  If  set  so  as  not  to  cut 
too  deep,  the  disk  is  the  best  tool  we  have  found  to  make  a 
good  seed  bed  on  this  sod. 

In  the  irrigated  districts,  we  do  all  the  plowing  we  can  in 
the  fall.     This  leaves  the  soil  in  good  condition  to  take  up  the 

2S1910 


winter's  moisture,  and  also  permits  us  to  get  such  land  culti- 
vated and  seeded  early  in  the  spring,  which  is  very  important 
if  the  largest  crop  yield  is  to  be  had.  On  such  fall-plowed 
land,  the  disk  harrow  is  generally  the  first  tool  used.  Set  at 
an  angle  to  cut  a  good  depth,  double  by  lapping  the  disk  half, 
and  the  first  step  in  the  preparation  of  the  seed  bed  is  well 
done. 

In  our  dry  farm  country,  the  practice  is  growing  of  disk- 
ing the  stubble  land  in  the  fall  soon  after  the  grain  is  cut.  If 
there  is  any  moisture  in  the  ground  this  helps  to  hold  it.  It 
may  also  start  weed  seeds  growing,  which  are  later  killed  by 
turning  under  with  the  plow.  The  same  practice  is  sometimes 
followed  in  the  spring  to  kill  the  early  growing  weeds,  and  to 
hold  the  moisture  until  the  land  is  plowed. 

In  most  of  the  dry  farm  districts  the  land  is  cropped  only 
every  second  year,  the  resting  year  being  used  to  prepare  the 
land  and  store  moisture  for  the  next  season's  crop.  Sometimes 
in  the  rainy  season  of  May  and  June,  weeds  get  a  strong  start 
on  the  fallow  land.  The  disk  is  our  best  tool  for  cutting  out 
these  large  weeds.  There  is,  however,  a  caution  to  be  given 
at  this  point.  On  fallowed  or  summer  tilled  land  the  disk 
should  not  be  used,  if  the  weeds  can  be  conquered  without  it, 
as  it  cuts  quite  deep  on  our  friable  soil  and  makes  a  very  deep 
soil  mulch,  thus  wasting  more  of  the  soil  moisture  than  is 
necessary.  If  the  weeds  get  too  strong,  as  sometimes  happens, 
the  disk  must  be  used  as  the  weeds  will  take  more  moisture  out 
of  ground  than  would  the  deep  tillage.  If  possible,  however, 
the  weeds  should  be  controlled  by  shallow  tillage. 

In  old  alfalfa  fields,  if  the  stand  is  not  as  thick  as  desired, 
nothing  better  can  be  done  to  renovate  such  fields  than  to 
thoroughly  disk  them  in  the  spring  of  the  year.  On  irrigated 
ground,  a  thorough  disking  of  the  alfalfa  fields  every  two  or 
three  years  is  good  practice,  and  will  generally  improve  the 
quantity  and  quality  of  the  hay.  Weeds  will  be  destroyed, 
and  I  have  yet  to  meet  the  person  who  has  any  complaints  to 
make  as  a  result  of  disking  his  alfalfa.     Remember,  however, 


this  disking  must  be  done  in  the  spring,  just  as  the  plant  is 
beginning  to  grow,  not  in  the  fall. 

On  dry  farms  I  would  advise  the  disking  of  the  alfalfa  in 
the  spring,  and  after  the  first  crop  is  cut  each  year.  Such 
disking  pulverizes  the  surface  soil,  which  thus  acts  as  a  mulch 
to  preserve  the  moisture. 

Out  in  this  Western  country,  and  particularly  on  the  dry 
bench  farms,  we  find  hired  help  very  expensive,  so  our  prac- 
tice is  to  use  a  four  or  six-horse  disk.  This  is  a  factor  in 
economic  production,  and  we  find  the  wide  disks  do  just  as 
good  work  as  the  narrower  ones.  As  on  much  of  the  soils 
some  packing  as  well  as  a  cutting  effect  is  desired,  we  find  that 
the  best  work  is  done  with  the  14-inch  or  16-inch  disk  wheels. 


Preparing  Seed  Bed  with  Disk  Harrow 

By  L.  B.  Bassitt 

Assistant  Professor  of  Farm  Mechanics,  Minnesota  Experiment  Station 

In  discussing  the  irse  of  the  disk  harrow,  I  have  endeavored 
to  give  suggestions  that  if  followed  will  give  ideal  conditions. 
It  is  expected  that  in  following  these  suggestions,  a  person  will 
so  modify  them  as  to  fit  his  own  conditions. 

One  of  the  chief  reasons  why  better  seed  beds  are  not  pre- 
pared and  the  disk  harrow  used  more  in  their  preparation,  is 
the  lack  of  time  caused  by  the  farming  of  too  large  an  area. 
It  is  the  same  old  fault  —  too  much  ground  poorly  tilled. 

Preparing  Land  for  Corn  Crop 

If  the  land  has  been  fall  plowed,  it  should  be  single  disked 
just  as  soon  as  the  land  can  be  worked  in  the  spring.  For  this 
work,  set  the  disk  with  slant  enough  to  stir  the  ground  to  a 
depth  of  two  inches.  This  should  be  followed  immediately 
with  a  slant  tooth  harrow  crossing  the  disk  furrows;  harrow 
again  after  every  heavy  rain  until  just  before  planting  time,  then 
double  disk  with  disks  set  to  cut  two  inches  deep;  cross  harrow 
at  once  and  plant  immediately.  A  seed  bed  handled  in  this 
way  will  be  firm  underneath  and  free  from  weeds,  with  a  two- 
inch  dust  mulch  on  top  that  will  readily  take  water  from  above 
and  prevent  the  loss  of  water  from  evaporation. 

The  Use  of  Disk  Harrow  for  Small  Grain 

In  the  driest  section  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  it  is  found  to 
be  very  profitable  to  follow  the  binder  with  the  disk  harrow  to 
conserve  the  moisture  and  render  the  soil  fit  to  hold  moisture 
that  may  fall  during  the  late  summer  before  ground  is  plowed 
in  fall.  This  also  cuts  up  and  pulverizes  the  surface  so  that 
when  land  is  plowed  the  furrow  slice  makes  a  better  connection 
with  the  bottom  of  the  preceding  furrow,  preventing  in  a  large 
measure  the  large  air  spaces  that  are  so  detrimental  to  a  per- 
fect seed  bed. 


(Fig.  1)  The  dead  furrow  is  non-productive 

(Fig.  2)  Dead  furrow  partially  filled 

(Fig.  3)  Dead  furrow  filled 


10 


In  my  opinion  this  practice  can  be  followed  with  profit  by 
the  farmers  of  the  states  like  Minnesota,  Iowa  and  Wisconsin 
where  rainfall  is  more  abundant.  The  advantage  gained  by  the 
sprouting  of  weed  seed,  the  better  seed  bed  gain  and  the  conser- 
vation of  moisture  is  not  to  be  lost  sight  of  even  in  these  states. 

On  land  that  is  fall  plowed  for  small  grain — and  one  ought 
not  make  a  practice  of  growing  grain  on  spring  plowing — it  is 
better  to  double  disk  early  in  spring,  cross  harrow,  and  sow 
immediately.  It  might  be  that  under  some  conditions  single 
disking  will  be  sufficient.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the 
thing  to  be  accomplished  is  a  finely  pulverized  seed  bed  about 
two  inches  deep  with  a  solid  subsoil  contact  that  will  bring 
moisture  up  to  the  dust  mulch  or  within  two  inches  of  the 
surface.  For  best  results,  this  condition  must  be  established. 
One  of  the  greatest  objections  to  single  disking  is  the  fact  that 
it  leaves  the  ground  in  an  uneven  condition  covered  with  ridges. 

Filling  Dead  Furrows  and  Leveling  Ridges 

In  every  field  of  any  size  can  be  found  several  dead  furrows 
and  ridges  left  by  the  plow  in  finishing  and  laying  out  lands. 
These  should  be  leveled  before  planting  corn  or  sowing  grain. 
It  is  almost  impossible  to  plant  and  properly  cover  a  row  of 
corn  in  a  dead  furrow  and  the  row  planted  on  the  ridge  is  often 
covered  so  deep  that  much  of  it  never  comes  up.  The  yield  of 
corn  and  small  grain  in  dead  furrows  is  always  light. 

Figure  1  shows  a  dead  furrow  seven  inches  deep  before  filling. 

Figure  2  shows  the  same  dead  furrow  partially  filled  and 
manner  of  filling. 

Figure  3  shows  the  same  furrow  completely  filled  and 
ground  left  in  level  condition. 

A  ridge  or  back  furrow  may  be  leveled  by  driving  so  that 
the  center  of  the  disk  comes  on  the  middle  of  the  ridge — thus 
throwing  the  dirt  outward  on  either  side  of  the  ridge.  Once 
down  and  back  on  the  same  ridge  will  leave  it  in  a  very  level 
condition. 

11 


Diskine  in  manure 
12 


Use  of  Disk  Harrow  in  Covering  Manure 

The  value  of  drawing  manure  direct  from  barn  to  field  is 
being  realized  more  and  more  every  year  by  farmers  of  the 
Northwest.  Until  recent  years,  the  practice  has  been  to  leave 
stubble  land  in  the  fall  and  scatter  manure  on  it  during  the 
winter  and  spring  months.  This  is  to  be  plowed  under  in  spring 
for  crop.  This  practice  not  only  delays  plowing  until  spring, 
which  is  a  bad  thing,  but  gets  much  of  the  manure  down  so  deep 
that  some  of  the  value  is  lost  and  in  case  of  a  dry  seed  season, 
shuts  oif  the  water  supply  at  the  bottom,  of  the  furrow  slice. 

Much  better  results  are  being  secured  by  fall  plowing  and 
spreading  the  manure  on  top  of  plowing  during  winter  and 
spring  months.  The  disk  harrow  is  used  in  spring  for  pulver- 
izing the  seed  bed  and  mixing  the  manure  with  the  surface 
soil.  So  well  does  this  work  out,  that  with  manure  applied  at 
the  ordinary  rate  very  little  trouble  is  experienced  in  working 
harrows,  cultivators,  and  seeding  machinery  on  land  so  tested. 
The  illustration  opposite  shows  a  disk  harrow  disking  in  manure 
as  described  above. 


Use  of  Disk  Harrow  in  Eradicating  Quack  Grass 

No  other  tillage  implement  is  so  effective  in  the  eradication 
of  quack  grass  as  the  disk  harrow.  When  the  sod  is  first 
turned  over,  it  can  be  cut  up  and  pulverized  with  the  disk  so 
as  to  expose  the  roots  to  suit  wind.  This  should  be  followed 
with  a  harrow  and  all  roots  raked  up  and  burned  after  the  harrow. 
In  about  ten  days  new  shoots  will  be  seen  coming  up  on  the 
inverted  sod.  Now  get  out  the  disk  and  go  over  the  field 
again,  lapping  half;  repeat  the  harrowing  and  burning  process. 
Keep  this  up  as  often  as  any  quack  stem  shows  green  above  the 
field.  It  may  be  found  necessary  to  replow  in  about  six  weeks' 
time,  after  which  the  treatment  should  be  the  same  as  described 
above.  One  season  of  this  treatment  if  carefully  done,  will 
eradicate  the  worst  fields  of  quack  grass. 

13 


The  Disk  Harrow  in  North  Dakota 

By  J.  H.  Worst 

President,  North  Dakota  Agricultural  College 

The  disk  harrow  is  used  almost  uni- 
versally by  the  farmers  of  North  Dakota. 
The  disk  following  a  corn  crop  of  the 
previous  year  or  after  potatoes  gives 
better  results  than  any  other  manner  of 
preparing  the  land  if  a  thorough  job  of 
disking  is  done.  Our  people  commonly 
^^^^0i  k  practice   double  disking  and   I   believe 

^^A  ^1^^^^^^     should  do  so  in  almost  all  cases. 
^^H^Mgll^^^H  It  will  be  seen  that  on  the  average  it 

^^^^^[^  Jllim     is  superior  to  either  spring  or  fall  plow- 
ing.   When  the  land  is  inclined  to  drift, 
disking  usually  prevents  that  trouble. 

In  Bulletin  No.  75  the  following  table  shows  the  results  of 


preparing  corn  ground  for  wheat: 

1903 

1904 

1906 

^• 

a 

•-' 

-c 

^ 

Preparation  of 

2 

1 

£ 

V 

1 

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Ground 

■-' 

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1 

Fall  Plowing... 

5 

40 

In 

35.03 

No.  4 

18.6 

3 

43 

114 

0 

In 

28.6 

27.4 

2 

Spring  Plowing 

1 

39 

In 

34.07 

Nq,4^ 

17.4 

3 

43 

114 

0 

In 

23.1 

24.8 

3 

Spring  Disking. 

15 

42 

Ih 

40.27 

No.  3 

19.2 

3 

43 

114 

0 

In 

26.9 

28.8 

It  is  used  in  many  cases  to  run  over  stubble  land  after  the 
binder  so  that  the  sheaves  fall  on  the  disked  surface.  By  this 
practice,  a  loose  mulch  is  formed  over  the  surface,  which  is 
made  up  of  a  mixture  of  dirt  and  grain  stubble.  This  has 
a  pronounced  advantage  in  keeping  moisture  in  the  soil  after 
the  crop  is  through  using  it  until  such  time  as  the  grain  is 


15 


Disking  the  ground— a  part  of  the  preparation  of  the  seed  bed  which  grew  the 
bumper  crops  shown  in  the  harvest  scene  below 

Harvesting  a  bumper  crop  of  wheat  averaging  fifty  bushels  per  acre 


16 


threshed  and  the  ground  is  plowed.  The  disk  is  used  very 
regularly  on  fall-plowed  land  and  on  fallow  land.  It  is  a  tool 
that  will  do  many  kinds  of  work,  according  to  the  angle  that 
the  disks  are  set.  By  putting  them  almost  directly  upright, 
they  simply  slit  the  ground,  and  by  setting  them  at  a  heavy 
angle,  they  almost  completely  turn  the  surface. 

Our  people  have  learned  to  use  them  in  loosening  up  sod- 
bound  meadow  lands  and  alfalfa  as  a  means  of  bringing  new 
vigor  to  the  old  sod. 

Every  farm  in  our  commonwealth  should  be  provided  with 
at  least  one  disk  harrow  as  a  necessary  part  of  its  equipment. 
I  believe  that  in  the  future  our  farmers  will  learn  to  use  them 
more  regularly  than  they  are  doing  at  the  present  time.  And 
they  are  now  adapted  to  a  large  number  of  uses  which  they 
were  not  put  to  ten  years  ago. 


17 


18 


The  Value  of  the  Disk  Harrow 


By  T.  S.  Parsons 

Agronomist,  University  of  Wyoming  Experiment  Station 

Few  farmers  realize  the  importance  of 
the  disk  harrow  as  a  labor  saver  and  as 
an  improver  of  the  seed  bed,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  various  other  uses  to  which 
it  can  be  put  upon  the  farm. 

To  the  farmer  of  Wyoming,  the  disk 
harrow  is  a  valuable  implement.  In  this 
state  where  farming  is  carried  on  under 
so  many  different  conditions  of  climate, 
altitude  and  moisture  it  has  an  especial 
value  to  the  farmer  who  makes  use  of 
it  intelligently.  In  Wyoming,  farming 
is  carried  on  at  altitudes  ranging  from  a  little  above  3,000  feet 
to  8,000  feet  or  more;  and  under  conditions  of  rainfall  rang- 
ing from  6.5  to  15  inches  per  annum.  Under  each  of  these 
conditions  the  disk  harrow  finds  its  own  particular  use  and 
adaptability.  At  the  State  Experiment  Station  where  the 
altitude  is  about  7,200  feet,  the  disk  harrow  is  considered 
one  of  the  most  valuable  pieces  of  tillage  machinery  and  is 
put  to  more  different  uses  upon  the  farm  than  any  other 
implement. 

I  may  describe  the  uses  to  which  the  disk  harrow  is  put  on 
the  Experiment  Farm  and  on  the  best  farms  and  ranches  in  the 
various  sections  of  Wyoming  under  the  following  heads: 

1st:  Following  the  plow  to  pulverize  the  soil  and  put  it  in 
better  tilth  for  the  reception  of  the  seed. 

2nd:  Disking  land  in  the  spring  that  has  been  plowed  in  the 
fall.  This  saves  replowing  and  puts  the  soil  in  the  best  pos- 
sible condition  for  spring  seeding. 

3rd:  Disking  ground  that  has  been  cropped  to  peas,  pota- 
toes, or  roots  the  previous  year.  Some  of  our  best  farmers 
hold  that  disking  is  superior  to  plowing  on  such  land  if  it  has 

19 


been  plowed  to  a  sufficient  depth  in  previous  years  and  there  is 
plenty  of  water  for  irrigation. 

4th:  Disking  stubble  land  after  the  grain  is  cut  to  put  the 
soil  in  better  condition  for  fall  plowing.  This  is  a  method 
adopted  by  the  dry  farmer  to  conserve  the  moisture  in  the  soil 
and  also  to  put  the  soil  in  better  condition  to  catch  and  retain 
the  rain  that  falls  upon  it.  The  disk  harrow  is  an  excellent 
implement  for  the  formation  of  the  soil  mulch. 

5th:  For  summer  fallowing.  It  not  only  helps  the  soil 
retain  moisture,  but  is  a  killer  of  weeds,  which  rob  the  soil  of 
much  moisture. 

6th:  Disking  alfalfa  fields  and  meadows.  The  fields  become 
sodbound  and  disking  cuts  up  the  crowns  of  alfalfa,  loosens  and 
aerates  the  surface  soil,  cuts  out  foxtail  and  other  injurious 
weeds,  and  improves  the  crop  generally. 

Yth:  As  a  lawn  improver.  This  spring  a  part  of  the  Uni- 
versity campus  which  had  never  been  broken  was  disked  and 
seeded  to  native  grasses.  Also  the  court-house  lawn  was 
covered  with  manure  during  the  winter  and  this  spring  disked. 
The  lawns  are  now  in  excellent  condition. 

8th:  For  cultivating  the  orchard.  To  give  maximum  yields  in 
the  irrigated  orchard  regions  the  orchard  should  be  given  clean 
cultivation.  This  can  be  done  by  the  use  of  the  disk  harrow. 
The  dry  farm  orchard  is  also  greatly  benefited  by  disking  and 
clean  cultivation  to  destroy  weeds  and  conserve  moisture. 

Taking  the  variety  of  work,  the  thoroughness,  the  horse 
power  required,  the  ease  with  which  it  can  be  handled  and  its 
effect  upon  the  soil,  no  farm  machine  ever  invented  surpasses 
the  disk  harrow.  And  even  though  the  inventor  is  unknown, 
his  memory  is  entitled  to  the  blessing  of  humanity  and  he  is 
deserving  of  a  monument  equal  in  height  and  architecture  to 
any  of  the  great  benefactors  of  the  race. 


Sun-baked   soil  before  disking 

Water-baked  soil  partly  disked 

Completing  the  disking 


22 


Some   Uses  of  the  Disk  Harrow  in  Idaho 

By  F.  D.  Farrell 

Director  in  Charge,  Southern  Idaho  Agricultural  Extension,  University  of  Idaho 

Comparatively  few  farms  in  the  state  of  Idaho  are  without 
the  disk  harrow.  It  is  used  extensively  on  the  dry  lands  and 
on  the  general  irrigated  farms,  in  the  orchards,  etc.  It  can  be 
used  for  a  number  of  purposes  where  other  implements  might 
also  serve  but  it  is  the  most  effective  implement  we  have  for 
all  the  following  purposes:  (1)  Preparation  of  a  seed  bed  on 
newly  broken  sod;  (2)  Breaking  of  heavy  crusts  formed  by 
snow  or  rain;  (3)  Eradication  of  weeds,  particularly  on  dry 
land  summer  fallow;  (4)  General  preparation  of  all  seed  beds; 
(5)  Loosening  of  stubble  fields  after  harvest  to  make  them 
absorb  and  retain  moisture;  (6)  The  cultivation  of  alfalfa. 

In  the  brief  space  allotted  us  we  can  call  attention  to  some 
of  the  main  considerations  only,  with  regard  to  the  above 
enumerated  points. 

On  a  very  large  area  of  our  virgin  soils  the  first  plowing 
turns  over  a  rather  tough,  heavy  sod.  The  plowing  is  ordi- 
narily done  to  a  depth  of  five  inches.  Some  implement  is  then 
necessary  to  completely  pulverize  this  sod  to  make  it  firm, 
without  being  too  compact,  and  to  establish  a  connection 
between  the  plowed  sod  and  the  soil  immediately  beneath  it. 
We  have  found  that  the  disk  harrow  is  the  most  efficient, 
implement  in  preparing  this  sod  for  planting.  Where  an  ordi- 
nary spike-toothed  harrow  is  used,  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  get 
all  the  sod  completely  pulverized,  and  the  harrow  has  little  or 
no  effect  in  the  way  of  incorporating  the  pulverized  soil  with 
the  unplowed  underlying  soil.  The  disk  harrow,  however, 
does  this  very  satisfactorily.  The  firm  of  Woodmansee  & 
Webster,  which  operates  a  4,800-acre  dry  farm  in  Fremont 
county,  employs  a  very  efficient  combination  of  disk  harrows. 
They  have  a  specially  constructed  frame,  behind  which  they 
attach  ten  harrows,  each  seven  feet  wide.  They  are  attached  in 
such  a  way  that  each  harrow  overlaps  one-half  of  one  of  the 


The  right  kind  of  a  mulch  for  moisture  The  wrong  kind  of  a  mulch.    The  ground 

conservation  is  granular^that  is,  the  dirt  is  almost  dust.  S.uch  a  mulch  blows  away 

should  not  be  pulverized  too  finely  easily 


^  .    ^A 

\ 

■i 

'■m 

The  granular  mulch  rained  upon.  Notice 
that  a  slight  crust  is  formed  on  the  surface. 
A  peg-tooth  harrow  will  break  up  the  crust 


The  dust  mulch  rained  upon.  The  soil 
particles  are  compact  and  close  together, 
forming  a  deep  crust 


24 


other  harrows.  The  arrangement  double-disks  a  35-foot  strip 
in  one  operation.  The  Woodmansee  &  Webster  farm  in  its 
virgin  state  contained  a  tough  sod  of  buffalo  grass  which,  when 
plowed,  was  very  difficult  to  pulverize.  They  go  over  their 
land  shortly  after  plowing,  with  their  disk  harrow  arrange- 
ment. This  double-disks  the  land  once.  They  then  repeat  the 
operation  with  the  addition  of  a  large  wooden  smoother  which 
is  attached  so  as  to  follow  the  disk  harrows.  This  double 
working  amounts  to  four  diskings  and  one  smoothing,  and  it 
results  in  a  practically  ideal  seed  bed  for  winter  wheat.  The 
disks  completely  pulverize  the  sod,  firm  it  to  the  desired 
degree  and  incorporate  it  with  the  underlying  soil.  The  com- 
bination of  the  disks  and  smoother  leaves  the  soil  in  a  very 
smooth  condition  at  the  surface  as  well  as  underneath.  This 
makes  their  fields  easy  on  all  their  planting  and  harvesting 
machinery.  For  all  work  similar  to  that  just  described,  we 
know  of  no  other  implement  in  this  state  which  will  begin  to 
give  the  satisfaction  that  is  given  by  the  disk  harrow. 

A  large  part  of  the  soils  of  Idaho,  particularly  those  of  the 
great  Snake  River  Valley,  are  deficient  in  humus.  This  condi- 
tion makes  the  soils  very  susceptible  to  crusting.  After  a 
heavy  rain  and  in  the  early  spring,  soils  which  were  plowed  the 
preceding  season  are  found  to  be  very  heavily  crusted.  In  a 
large  number  of  cases  this  crust  cannot  be  satisfactorily  and 
uniformly  broken  up  by  an  ordinary  spike-toothed  harrow.  It 
is  too  expensive  to  use  a  plow  for  breaking  the  crust,  even  if 
this  practice  were  desirable.  Here  again  the  disk  harrow  is 
pre-eminent  as  an  efficient  implement.  By  getting  onto  a  field 
with  a  disk  harrow  as  early  in  the  spring  or  as  soon  after  a 
heavy  rain  as  the  soil  can  be  worked  without  danger  of  pud- 
dling, the  crust  formed  can  be  completely  broken  up  and  left 
in  a  very  desirable  condition.  It  is  best  in  a  case  of  this  kind 
to  double-disk  rather  than  single-disk,  and  it  is  frequently 
desirable  to  follow  the  disk  harrow  with  a  spike-toothed  harrow. 
This,  however,  is  not  always  necessary.  Frequently,  where 
only  the  spike-toothed  harrow  is  used  for  breaking  the  crust, 

25 


The  granular  mulch  rained  upon  and 
left  standing  for  a  number  of  days. 
Observe  that  the  ground  is  cracking,  and 
that  moisture  is  escaping  through  these 
cracks.    The  crust  can  be  ezisily  broken 


Dust  mulch  rained  upon  and  left  stand- 
ing in  the  hot  sun.  Note  that  the  crust 
has  cracked,  and  that  the  moisture  is 
escaping  very  rapidly.  It  is  impossible 
to  work  up  this  seed  bed  properly 


Stubble  left  standing  after  harvesting. 
Note  that  the  ground  is  full  of  cracks, 
and  that  it  is  very  hard 


Stubble  disked  immediately  behind 
the  binder.  Note  that  there  are  no 
cracks  in  the  ground,  the  stubble  is  cut 
up,  and  a  mulch  is  left  on  the  surface 
to  prevent  moisture  from  escaping 


it  must  be  run  over  the  soil  so  many  times  that  the  result  is 
the  much  talked  of  ''dust  mulch."  In  our  volcanic  ash  and 
heavy  clay  soils,  this  dust  mulch  is  not  at  all  desirable  as  it  too 
readily  encrusts  again  when  more  rain  falls.  The  disk  harrow, 
by  breaking  the  crust  with  a  single  operation,  leaves  the 
surface,  not  as  a  dust  mulch,  but  in  a  well  pulverized,  well 
firmed  condition. 

On  the  unirrigated  lands  of  Idaho  it  is  a  common  practice 
to  summer  fallow  every  other  year.  The  summer  fallow  is 
frequently  so  infested  with  weeds  and  volunteer  grain  that  a 
great  deal  of  difficulty  is  met.  It  is  often  impossible  for  a 
farmer  to  cultivate  his  fallow  when  the  weeds  are  just  beginning 
to  emerge  from  the  soil.  After  the  weeds  have  gained  a  rea- 
sonably good  start  a  spike-toothed  harrow  is  not  eflPective  in 
eradicating  them.  The  disk  harrow  here  is  very  effective.  The 
object  in  all  the  summer  cultivation  of  fallowed  soil  is  to  keep 
the  surface  pulverized  and  to  keep  down  weeds.  The  more  shal- 
lowly  this  cultivation  can  be  done  the  smaller  will  be  the 
quantity  of  soil  moisture  lost  through  evaporation.  It  is  always 
desirable,  therefore,  to  be  as  effective  as  possible,  in  accomplish- 
ing the  desired  object  and  at  the  same  time  to  avoid  going  too 
deeply  into  the  soil.  An  ordinary  plow  would  eradicate  the 
weeds  but  the  operation  would  be  expensive  and  large  quantities 
of  soil  moisture  would  be  unnecessarily  lost.  The  use  of  a  spike- 
toothed  harrow  would  probably  pulverize  the  surface  soil  and 
it  would  avoid  going  too  deeply,  but  it  would  not  be  effective 
in  most  cases  in  eradicating  the  weeds.  The  disk  harrow  is 
found  in  such  cases  to  be  the  happy  medium.  It  is  very  widely 
and  very  successfully  used  in  Idaho  for  this  purpose. 

In  preparation  of  seed  beds  for  all  field  crops  in  this  state, 
the  disk  harrow  has  its  uses.  The  desirable  seed  bed  contains 
from  four  to  six  inches  of  well  pulverized  surface  soil,  reason- 
ably firm,  without  being  too  compact.  This  zone  of  pulverized 
soil  should  be  uniform  all  over  the  field  in  depth,  moisture  con- 
tent and  tilth.  Comparatively  few  fields  are  prepared  for  plant- 
ing on  the  best  farms  of  this  state  without  the  use  of  a  disk 

27 


Undisked  stubble  plowed.  Observe 
that  the  ground  is  turned  up  in  lumps, 
that  there  are  open  spaces  at  the  bottom 
of  the  furrow  which  prevent  the  close 
compactness  of  the  lower  portion  of 
the  turned  furrow  with  the  soil  beneath 


Disked  stubble  plowed.  The  mulch 
formed  by  the  disk  harrow  fills  up  the 
open  spaces  at  the  bottom  of  the  fur- 
row, thereby  forming  a  close  connec- 
tion with  the  sub-surface 


This  illustration  represents  the  field 
above  harrowed  with  a  pegtooth  harrow. 
The  air  spaces  are  still  at  the  bottom 
of  the  furrow 


This  illustration  represents  the  field 
above  treated  with  a  pegtooth  harrow 
after  plowing.  The  surface  is  in  com- 
paratively good  condition,  and  the  bottom 
is  compact 


28 


harrow.  This  implement  has  been  found  to  produce  generally, 
the  most  nearly  ideal  seed  bed  conditions,  because  of  the  man- 
ner in  which  it  meets  the  requirements  in  the  desired  prepara- 
tion of  soil. 

The  disk  harrow  is  coming  into  general  use  on  both  the 
unirrigated  and  irrigated  farms  of  Idaho  in  disking  grain  stub- 
ble. The  farmers  are  finding  that  it  pays  to  disk  immediately 
after  harvest  in  order  that  the  soil  will  absorb  any  water  which 
may  be  precipitated  or  artificially  applied,  and  in  order  that 
when  the  plowing  is  done  later  in  the  season  the  soil  will  be 
turned  over  in  a  mellow,  rather  than  in  a  lumpy  condition. 
Oftentimes  farmers  plant  alfalfa  in  their  stubble  fields  shortly 
after  the  grain  crop  is  removed  and  the  disk  harrow  is  here 
used  to  prepare  the  seed  bed.  Where  soil  has  been  reasonably 
well  cared  for  and  is  not  too  heavy,  naturally,  abetter  seed  bed 
can  frequently  be  secured  for  alfalfa  planting  by  thoroughly 
disking  the  stubble  than  by  plowing  the  field,  and  the  disking 
of  course  is  much  less  expensive  than  plowing.  On  some  of  the 
sandy  soils  in  the  Snake  River  Valley,  it  has  been  found  that  a 
stand  of  alfalfa  can  be  secured  by  planting  in  a  seed  bed  pre- 
pared by  a  disk  harrow  run  over  a  stubble  field.  Where  these 
sandy  soils  are  inclined  to  "blow,"  great  care  has  to  be  taken 
not  to  get  too  much  finely  pulverized  soil  on  the  surface.  In 
instances  of  this  kind,  the  disk  harrow  is  run  with  the  disks 
almost  straight  over  the  stubble  field.  This  loosens  up  the  soil 
sufficiently  for  the  reception  of  the  alfalfa  seed,  but  does  not 
pulverize  it  to  such  an  extent  that  it  blows  undesirably.  This 
use  of  the  disk  harrow  illustrates  its  adjustability  by  varying 
the  angle  at  which  the  disks  are  run.  Wide  variations  in  the 
degree  of  pulverization  of  the  soil  can  be  secured. 

The  cultivation  of  alfalfa  on  both  the  dry  and  irrigated 
farms  of  Idaho  is  done  very  largely  with  the  disk  harrow.  The 
purposes  of  cultivating  alfalfa  are.  many.  They  include  the 
admission  of  air  to  the  alfalfa  roots  and  the  organisms  on  the 
roots,  the  breaking  up  of  the  crust  formed  by  natural  precipi- 
tation or  surface  irrigation,  the  eradication  of  weeds  from  the 

29 


Plowed  field,  disked  and  harrowed. 
There  is  a  deeper  seed  bed  on  the  sur- 
face, but  many  hard  clods  and  air  spaces 
are  in  the  bottom  of  the  furrow 


Disked  stubble  plowed  and  disked  before 
harrowing.  Observe  the  compact  con- 
dition of  the  soil,  that  the  air  spaces  are 
completely  filled  up,  and  that  the  ground 
is  in  first-class  condition 


i||]TiP  '\'A^-\^ 


1  M  iMiViil\'.'ii 


A  plowed  and  harrowed  field  with  corn 
and  wheat  planted  upon  it,  showing  that 
the  corn  and  wheat  are  too  deep  in  the 
ground.  The  runner  broke  through  the 
clod  and  deposited  the  seed  deeper 
than  the  farmer  really  intended.  Maybe 
the  next  hill  is  too  shallow.  This  sort 
of  a  seed  bed  accounts  very  largely  for 
the  unevenness  of  the  stand  of  all 
kinds  of  crops,  and  also  explains  why  plants 
will  grow  and  prosper  for  a  while,  then 
suddenly  become  weak 


This  illustration  represents  the  field  in 
the  above  scene,  showing  that  in  a  seed 
bed  of  this  kind  the  farmer  can  regulate 
his  seeding  machine  to  a  certain  depth 
and  feel  assured  that  the  grain  is  being 
deposited  at  that  depth.  The  corn  is 
planted  where  he  wants  it,  and  the  soil 
is  compact  and  fine,  so  that  the  rootlets 
can  reach  out  and  assimilate  the  neces- 
sary amount  of  plant  food,  thus  insuring 
a  vigorous,  healthy  growth.  The  same 
thing  is  true  of  the  wheat  plant 


alfalfa  fields,  the  pulverizing  of  surface  soil  for  the  conserva- 
tion of  moisture  and  the  splitting  of  the  crowns  of  the  alfalfa 
plants  so  as  to  prevent  the  latter  from  becoming"  too  coarse  and 
woody.  The  disk  harrow  meets  these  requirements  very  satis- 
factorily. It  is  widely  used  in  all  parts  of  Idaho  for  this  pur- 
pose. Here  again  the  severity  of  the  cultivation  can  be  adjusted 
to  suit  the  needs  of  the  particular  field.'  Where  the  crust  is 
only  moderately  thick,  the  disk  can  be  run  nearly  straight. 
The  same  is  true  where  the  alfalfa  is  only  one  year  old.  Where 
the  crust  is  heavy  or  the  field  weedy  and  the  alfalfa  plants  are 
two  or  more  years  old,  the  disks  can  be  run  at  a  sharp  angle, 
and  thus  do  much  more  severe  cultivating  than  where  they  run 
straight.  In  this  way  the  crowns  of  the  alfalfa  plants  are 
divided  and  subdivided,  weeds  are  killed,  the  surface  soil  is 
well  pulverized  and  practically  all  the  other  purposes  for  which 
alfalfa  is  cultivated  are  satisfactorily  accomplished.  Ordinarily, 
the  disk  is  run  over  the  alfalfa  field  early  in  the  spring  before 
the  plants  have  made  much  growth.  Where  only  one  cultiva- 
tion is  given  the  field  annually,  the  early  spring  cultivation  is 
the  most  efficient.  Some  farmers  get  good  results  by  disking 
in  the  fall.  This  is  particularly  true  on  the  dry  lands  where 
the  collection  and  conservation  of  water  in  the  soil  are  the 
primary  factors. 

A  number  of  other  uses  for  the  disk  harrow  in  Idaho  can  be 
enumerated  and  discussed,  but  those  above  are  probably  the 
most  important.  Any  one  of  those  named  is  a  sufficient  reason 
why  a  disk  harrow  should  form  a  part  of  every  Idaho  farmer's 
equipment. 


A  com  field  in  the  spring,  after  the 
stock  have  fed  and  trampled  through  it 
all  winter.  This  is  about  the  condition 
ground  is  in  when  the  farmer  starts  to 
sow  his  oats  or  plow  for  another  crop 
of  corn 


The  cornstalk  field  after  a  thorough 
disking,  showing  the  stalks  cut  in  small 
pieces  and  the  mulch  of  earth  which 
prevents  moisture  from  escaping 


The  field  shown  in  the  above  picture 
plowed.  Observe  that  the  cornstalks  are 
only  half  buried,  and  that  the  roots  and 
stalks  form  air  spaces  which  prevent  the 
furrowed  slice  from  coming  in  compact 
union  with  the  sub-surface 


Field  showing  the  above  disked  corn- 
stalk ground  plowed.  Note  the  disked 
surface  and  that  the  short  lengths  of 
stalks  do  not  interfere  with  the  com- 
pact union  of  the  furrowed  slice  with 
the  sub-surface 


Farming  with  the  Disk  Harrow 

By  F.  H.  Demaree 

Acting  Agronomist,  University  of  Missouri  Agricultural  Experiment  Station 

In  my  opinion  and  that  of  everybody 
connected  with  the  crop  and  soils  work 
of  this  institution,  the  disk  harrow  is  one 
of  the  best  implements  which  can  be  used 
on  any  farm. 

It  lends  itself  to  a  variety  of  uses.  It 
should  always  be  used  before  land  is 
plowed  in  the  spring  for  com.  Most  of 
the  corn  roots  are  found  at  a  depth  of 
six  to  eight  inches  below  the  surface  of 
the  ground.  When  land  is  simply  plowed 
without  disking,  it  can  easily  be  seen 
that  the  corn  roots  are  lodged  in  the  most  poorly  prepared  part 
of  the  seed  bed.  This  is  not  logical  nor  practical.  So,  in  my 
opinion,  all  spring-plowed  land  should  be  disked  before  it  is 
plowed.  There  is  no  piece  of  machinery  which  will  take  the 
place  of  the  disk  harrow  for  this  purpose. 

The  disk  may  also  be  used  to  a  good  advantage  in  preparing 
the  top  seed  bed  for  corn.  In  early-plowed  land  and  fall- 
plowed  land,  there  is  generally  a  crust  and  many  clods  form 
before  corn  planting  time.  One  of  the  best  implements  which 
we  have  found  so  far  in  pulverizing  these,  is  the  disk  harrow. 
On  sod  land,  it  is  nearly  impossible  to  make  a  good  seed  bed 
without  the  use  of  the  disk. 

In  Missouri  where  we  often  grow  two  crops  in  one  season, 
the  disk  harrow  lends  itself  admirably  to  the  second  prepara- 
tion of  the  soil.  For  instance,  it  is  becoming  quite  common  to 
sow  cowpeas  after  oats  or  wheat  when  clover  has  not  been 
sown  in  the  spring.  If  the  disk  is  used  here  as  soon  as  the 
wheat  is  cut,  such  lands  can  be  prepared  nicely  for  cowpeas 
and  will  produce  a  good  crop  before  frost. 

In   preparing  land   for   oats,   it  has  been  found  at  other 

83 


Field  plowed  and  harrowed  with  an 
ordinary  peg-tooth  harrow.  The  stalks 
interfere  with  cultivation.  Note  also 
the  clods  and  air  spaces  that  stop  the 
upward  trend  of  moisture 


Field  showing  disked  stubble  plowed, 
disked  and  harrowed.  Can  you  imagine 
a  better  seed  bed  for  the  plainting  of 
corn  or  any  grain 


Illustration  showing  the  field  above 
planted  with  corn  and  small  grain.  The 
farmer  is  never  certain  of  his  crop. 
The  cornstalks  bother  in  the  cultiva- 
tion, and  are  of  no  service  as  fertilizer 
when  left  in  this  condition 


This  field  is  the  same  as  that  shown 
in  the  illustration  above,  with  corn 
and  small  grain  planted.  The  ground 
is  in  perfect  condition  for  the  reception 
of  the  seed,  and  the  farmer  has  good 
assurance  that  he  will  grow  a  crop 


34 


Stations  that  a  good  double  disking  of  the  soil  is  just  as  effi- 
cient as  plowing  and  much  easier  and  quicker  so  that  our 
recommendations  for  the  preparation  of  oat  land  is  to  double- 
disk  the  soil,  then  harrow  down  and  drill  the  seed  in.  Such  a 
preparation  would,  if  consistently  followed,  give  excellent 
results. 

From  the  foregoing,  it  can  be  easily  seen,  that  the  disk 
harrow  plays  a  very  important  part  in  modern  farm  opera- 
tions. In  my  estimation  no  farmer  can  do  without  one  as  they 
insure  thorough  preparation  of  the  soil  and  decrease  the  cost 
of  crop  production. 


\§  v^  v^ 


The  Most  Useful  Farm  Implement 

By  J.  N.  Harper 

Director,  South  Carolina  Agricultural  Experiment  Station 

I  consider  the  disk  harrow  the  most  useful  farm  implement 
the  farmers  of  this  region  can  own.  It  is  invaluable  in  putting 
land  in  shape  in  early  spring  after  the  land  has  been  thoroughly 
plowed  with  a  disk  plow  during  the  previous  fall.  Much  time 
and  labor  is  saved  if  the  disk  harrow  is  run  over  corn  land 
previous  to  the  laying  oif  of  the  land  just  before  planting.  I 
have  also  found  the  disk  harrow  valuable  in  listing  land  for 
cotton.  One  time  to  the  row  is  sufficient  to  make  a  bed  on 
which  the  bottom  can  be  planted,  whereas  by  the  old  method 
it  takes  four  to  five  furrows  with  Dixie  plow  to  do  the  same  work. 


^^^ 

s 

k 

p 

v-]'\ 

H 

H 

Field  disked  after  plowing.  This  is  a 
common  practice  among  farmers.  It 
does  not  remedy  the  bad  condition 
at  the  bottom  of  the  seed  bed 


Disked  cornstalk  field  disked  and 
harrowed  after  plowing.  This  leaves 
the  ground  in  perfect  condition  for 
whatever  kind  of  crop  the  farmer 
desires  to  plant 


Field  illustrated  above  with  com  and 
wheat  planted.  Observe  that  the 
growth  of  the  plant  is  somewhat  bet- 
ter than  that  shown  in  the  illustration 
on  page  34,  but  that  the  same  poor 
condition  exists  at  the  bottom  of  the 
seed  bed 


This  illustration  shows  the  field  above 
planted  to  wheat  and  corn.  Observe 
the  healthy  growth  of  plants,  that 
there  is  abundant  root  system,  that 
the  rootlets  can  assimilate  all  the  plant 
food  necessary 


36 


The  Disk  Harrow 


By  Daniel  Scoates 

Professor  of  Agricultural  Engineering,  Mississippi  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College 

If  the  plow  can  be  called  the  king  of 

farm   implements,    then  surely  the  disk 

harrow  is  properly  named  the  queen  of 

the   same   family.     As  Longfellow  said 

|||.  .|ip|...    w>i         about  man  and  woman,  so  can  it  be  said 

W  ^  of  the  plow  and  the  disk  harrow — "use- 

^t  less  each  without  the  other."    The  disk 

Vjgg^  ^  harrow  rules  from  the  plains  of  Montana 

^Jt^^B^^     where  disking  means  saving   crops   by 

^M^^^^^^M    saving  moisture,  to  the  hills  of  Mississippi 

jUJ^^mm     where  disking  means  death  to  erosion. 

There  are  several  kinds  of  disk  har- 
rows, for  instance  the  cutaway,  spading,  full  disk,  etc.  But  let 
us  pay  our  attention  to  the  full  disk,  for  this  harrow  is  really 
the  mother  of  all  the  rest,  which  at  best  are  only  special  tools 
to  be  used  under  certain  conditions.  This  implement  should 
be  on  every  farm,  whether  the  farm  be  of  small  acreage,  such 
as  that  worked  by  a  truck  gardener,  or  of  large  areas  as  that 
of  the  wheat  grower.  It  has  a  mission  to  fulfill  that  is  essential 
to  all  farmers  no  matter  what  the  size.  It  fulfills  more  places 
on  the  farm  of  today  than  any  other  implement  known.  It  is 
truly  the  farmer's  general  utility  implement. 

To  the  farmer  with  limited  or  unlimited  capital  it  should  be 
the  second  tool  for  him  to  purchase,  next  only  to  the  plow. 
The  former  farmer  finds  this  tool  able  to  do  the  work  of  many 
that  the  latter  can  afford  to  buy.  For  example,  it  will  cut  up 
corn  or  cotton  stalks,  act  as  a  surface  packer,  cover  grain  that 
has  been  broadcasted,  grind  up  clods  and  pulverize  the  soil,  etc. 
Then  when  the  capital  of  the  farmer  increases  and  allows  him 
to  buy  the  other  tools  to  help  do  this  work,  the  disk  harrow 
just  falls  for  its  own  special  duty. 

The  disk  harrow's  special  duty  is  to  take  the  soil  after  the 

37 


Starting  in  to  disk  a  cloddy  field 
Completion  of  the  disking.    The  clods  are  well  pulverized 


plow  has  done  its  work  and  put  on  the  finishing  touches.  The 
result  of  these  touches  acts  in  different  ways  under  as  many 
circumstances;  if  the  land  receives  a  heavy  rainfall  the  disking 
allows  the  soil  to  take  up  larger  quantities  of  this  moisture  than 
could  be  obtained  under  the  former  condition.  Then  the 
absorption  of  this  water  has  not  only  the  benefit  of  storing  up 
moisture  for  the  future  use  of  the  plants,  but  by  allowing  the 
water  to  soak  into  the  ground  it  prevents,  to  a  certain  extent, 
surface  washing  of  the  land.  This  last  benefit  is  one  that  is  of 
great  importance  to  Southern  farmers.  Then  the  disking  of 
the  surface  gives  still  another  advantage  in  that  the  breaking 
up  of  the  surface  of  the  ground  establishes  what  is  known  as  a 
mulch.  This  mulch  breaks  up  the  effect  of  capillarity,  thus 
causing  rapid  evaporation  to  cease  and  saving  the  moisture 
stored  in  the  soil  for  the  use  of  the  plants.  This  fact  is  of  vital 
importance  to  the  farmer  of  the  West  and  Northwest  and 
should  be  appreciated  by  the  farmers  of  other  sections. 

It  can  be  readily  seen  then  that  no  matter  whether  you  are 
farming  in  Maine  or  Mississippi,  in  Alaska  or  Alabama,  the 
disk  harrow  is  an  essential  farm  tool;  that  the  benefits  are  such 
that  an  over-indulgence  in  its  use  does  no  harm  while  a  lack  of 
its  application  spells  failure. 


The  Disk  Harrow  in  Texas 

By  H.  H.  Harrington 

Director,  Texas  Experiment  Station 

The  disk  harrow  is  one  of  the  most  useful  implements  on 
the  farm.  Before  breaking  sod  with  the  plow,  if  the  ground  is 
in  just  the  right  condition,  it  is  sometimes  desirable  to  run  the 
disk  harrow  both  ways  over  the  land,  or  if  time  will  not  permit 
running  both  ways,  run  it  one  way,  at  least.  This  is  especially 
true  in  the  spring  when  the  sod  may  not  have  time  to  decay 
before  the  coming  crop.  After  breaking  up  cultivated  fields 
that  are  somewhat  dry,  the  disk  harrow  will  break  down  the 
clods  and  put  the  soil  in  the  best  condition  possible,  if  followed 
by  a  smoothing  harrow  when  necessary.  In  late  plowing,  when 
the  ground  has  become  somewhat  foul,  the  disk  harrow  will 
give  most  satisfactory  results  toward  killing  weeds  and  grass; 
the  ground  to  be  planted  later.  In  the  fall,  the  disk  harrow  is 
frequently  extremely  useful  in  breaking  up  the  land  for  wheat, 
it  sometimes  being  the  case  that  no  other  preparation  is  nec- 
essary before  planting.  But  the  most  beneficial  effect  of  the 
harrow,  perhaps,  is  on  alfalfa  meadows.  It  not  only  opens  up 
the  soil  so  that  the  air  can  get  to  it,  cuts  the  crown  of  the 
alfalfa,  and  improves  the  stand,  but  it  mulches  the  soil  in  such 
a  way  that  the  young  stubble  grows  oif  more  rapidly  and  pro- 
duces a  crop  of  hay  quicker  than  on  meadows  left  uncultivated. 
In  some  instances,  where  the  alfalfa  is  irrigated  and  the  land 
becomes  severely  baked,  the  renovator  rather  than  the  disk 
harrow  may  be  required,  but  in  most  instances  the  harrow  will 
be  found  a  most  efficient  implement  on  alfalfa  meadows,  after 
they  are  one  year  old. 


40 


The  Disk  Harrow 

By  G.  H.  Alford 

Manager  of  Southern  Branch  Office,  I  H  C  Service  Bureau 

The  Indiana,  IHinois  and  Iowa  farmer  uses  three  times  as 
many  farm  implements  and  more  than  three  times  as  much  horse 
power  as  the  averag'e  farmer  in  the  cotton  belt;  and  after  all  is 
said,  this  is  unquestionably  the  main  reason  why  he  earns  more 
than  three  times  as  much  as  we  do. 

We  must  use  more  and  better  implements;  there  can  be  no 
arg-ument  here.  The  only  question  is  as  to  which  are  worth 
most  and  which  will  pay  best.  We  call  your  attention  to  the 
disk  harrow,  an  implement  that  can  be  purchased  at  half  the 
cost  of  a  good  riding"  cultivator  and  an  implement  that  can  be 
used  for  twelve  months  every  year. 

There  was  a  time  when  the  few  farmers  who  owned  disk 
harrows  used  them  to  prepare  new  land  and  to  destroy  clods. 
The  intensive  methods  of  farming  have  brought  to  light  many 
new  uses  for  the  disk  harrow.  A  reversible  disk  harrow  can  be 
used  as  a  stalk  cutter,  as  an  implement  for  preparing  the  seed 
bed  on  sandy  land  and  preparing  the  seed  bed  after  breaking 
on  all  kinds  of  land,  and  then  used  to  cultivate  the  crop. 

A  sharp  disk  does  a  fine  job  of  cutting  cotton  and  corn 
stalks  when  they  are  dry.  It  is  the  best  possible  implement  to 
use  in  preparing  a  cotton  stalk  and  corn  stalk  field  for  the  plow. 
Of  course,  it  is  best  to  use  the  stalk  cutter  first,  but  after  the 
stalk  cutter  has  been  used  to  cut  the  stalks  into  pieces,  the  sharp 
disks  do  a  fine  job  of  cutting  the  stalks  into  smaller  pieces,  level 
the  ridges,  and  form  a  fine  mulch.  To  get  the  land  ready  for 
the  plow,  the  gangs  should  be  set  close  and  run  lengthwise  over 
the  rows  to  cut  the  stalks  into  very  short  pieces  and  pulverize 
the  top  of  the  soil. 

The  disk  is  used  on  unplowed  land  for  the  following  pur- 
poses: First,  to  prepare  mellow  land  for  grain  and  other  crops 
where  deep  plowing  is  seldom  necessary;  second,  to  cut  and 
mix  barnyard  manure,  grass  and  trash  so  that  when  it  is  turned 

41 


The  condition  of  a  cotton  stalk  field 
just  before  starting  to  prepare  the 
seed  bed 


Cotton  stalk  field  treated  with  a  cot- 
ton stalk  cutter  and  disked  thoroughly 


S"^^ 

^S 

k 

^^S 

^^ 

^^^^H 

^^^m 

^m^^:^^^^^^aM 

^^^^^^^^^^ 

^^^^^B 

^^^^^m 

iW^ 

^. 

'  '""4 
.  1 

The  cotton  stalk  field  shown  above 
after  plowing.  Observe  that  the  stalks 
and  roots  leave  air  spaces  at  the  bot< 
torn  of  the  furrow 


The  field  shown  above  after  plowing. 
Observe  that  there  are  no  air  spaces, 
and  that  the  ground  can  be  soon  worked 
into  a  good  seed  bed 


42 


under,  the  surface  soil  will  not  be  separated  from  the  subsoil  to 
stop  the  rise  of  water;  third,  to  produce  a  soil  mulch  on  dry 
land  so  that  after  a  week  or  ten  days,  it  can  be  easily  plowed, 
the  moisture  by  this  time  having  accumulated  below  the  mulch 
and  softened  up  the  land;  fourth,  to  form  a  mulch  of  fine  dirt 
which  fills  up  the  spaces  usually  left  between  the  furrowed  slice 
and  the  ground  beneath,  thus  making  the  foundation  for  a  fine 
compact  seed  bed. 

In  the  spring  we  are  all  in  a  rush  to  get  our  crops  planted. 
Our  plow  teams  are  overworked  and  even  the  best  farmers 
often  fail  to  thoroughly  prepare  their  land.  It  is  much  better 
to  take  time  by  the  forelock  and  disk  the  land  and  then  break 
it  deep  during  the  fall  and  winter.  The  plow  stock  are  rested 
and  the  weather  is  cool.  When  the  land  has  been  broken  dur- 
ing the  fall  and  winter  and  for  some  time  prior  to  planting,  the 
cotton  seed  bed  can  be  quickly  and  easily  made  by  arranging 
the  disk  harrow  for  an  inthrow  and  by  adjusting  the  inner 
ends  of  the  gangs  higher  than  the  outer.  With  the  harrow  so 
arranged,  a  man  and  two  good  animals  can  make  much  better 
seed  beds  and  do  the  work  more  quickly  than  several  men  in 
the  old  fashioned  way. 

Cotton  comes  up  quicker,  grows  faster  and  begins  bearing 
sooner  on  a  well-settled,  firm  seed  bed,  consequently  it  is  not 
wise  to  plant  cotton  or  other  crops  on  freshly  plowed  land. 
When  the  beds  have  been  made  by  the  use  of  the  middle 
burster  or  turning  plow  for  some  time  before  planting,  it  is 
usually  necessary  to  remake  them  and  destroy  the  little  grass 
and  weeds  by  arranging  the  disk  harrow  for  an  inthrow  and 
adjusting  the  inner  ends  of  the  gangs  considerably  higher  than 
the  outer. 

If  the  land  has  been  flat  broken  and  has  been  compacted  by 
heavy  rains,  the  disk  harrow  is  the  most  effective  tool  for  the 
preparation  of  the  seed  bed.  When  the  ground  has  been 
plowed  for  some  time  and  is  covered  with  grass  and  weeds,  the 
disk  harrow  will  destroy  the  weeds  and  make  a  most  excellent 
seed  bed  for  all  kinds  of  crops.     The  soil  that  is  in  clods  when 

43 


A  common  method  of  preparing  the 
cotton  seed  bed.  Note  that  the  ground 
under  the  plowed  furrow  is  hard  and 
cracked 


A  cotton  seed  bed  prepared  on  plowed 
ground  with  a  reversible  disk  harrow. 
Note  the  mellowness  of  the  ground, 
its  compactness,  and  the  regularity  of 
the  seed  bed 


-^#ii^iilftfeite 


Young  cotton  growing  on  a  seed 
bed  prepared  by  the  "Middlebuster" 
method.  Observe  that  the  ground  is 
hard  beneath,  and  that  there  is  every 
opportunity  for  moisture  to  escape 


Cotton  growing  on  ground  properly 
disked,  plowed,  and  again  disked. 
Observe  the  compactness,  that  the 
moisture  will  not  escape  unduly,  and 
that  the  roots  can  assimilate  the  nec- 
essary plant  food 


41 


you  plant  cotton,  corn  and  other  crops  will  seldom  be  of  use 
to  you  during  the  season  unless  you  pulverize  the  clods.  When 
the  soil  breaks  up  into  clods,  by  all  means  follow  the  plow 
with  the  disk  harrow  and  thus  destroy  the  clods  while  moist. 
The  disk  harrow  pulverizes  the  soil  thoroughly  and  if  each 
round  is  lapped  no  ridges  of  any  consequence  will  be  left. 
Your  field  may  be  cloddy  and  weedy  but  a  double  disking  with 
a  disk  harrow  or  a  single  disking  with  a  double  disk  harrow 
will  make  a  perfect  seed  bed  of  it.  In  the  preparation  of  land 
for  any  crop,  no  tool  can  be  used  to  better  advantage  than  the 
disk  harrow. 

The  disk  harrow  has  special  advantages  over  smoothing 
harrows  in  ground  with  loose  trash  or  growing  weeds  because 
the  disk  cuts  through  the  trash  instead  of  dragging  it  along. 

Where  seed  is  sown  broadcast,  there  is  no  more  desirable 
tool  than  the  disk  harrow  for  the  purpose  of  putting  the  seed 
into  the  ground.  In  the  absence  of  the  grain  drill,  the  disk 
harrow  is  the  best  possible  implement  to  use  to  put  in  oats, 
rye,  wheat,  cowpeas,  soy  beans,  and  others  crops  broadcast. 

The  disk  harrow  should  follow  the  mower  to  pulverize  the 
soil  for  conserving  the  moisture  and  making  plowing  easier. 
It  is  usually  unnecessary  to  use  the  plow  in  cowpeas,  soy  beans 
or  sorghum  after  oats  and  the  disk  harrow  is  the  implement  to 
use  to  do  the  work  in  a  hurry  at  this  busy  season  of  the  year. 

A  tongue  and  forecarriage  should  be  purchased  with  every 
disk  harrow.  The  forecarriage  is  to  be  preferred  when  prepar- 
ing the  seed  bed.  It  is  a  great  aid  in  turning  corners  and  at 
the  end  of  the  row.  It  is  also  a  decided  advantage  for  the 
team  to  have  relief  from  the  weight  and  lashing  of  the  tongue 
of  the  harrow.  When  cultivating  crops  and  when  using  the 
harrow  on  hilly  land,  the  tongue  is  necessary  to  guide  the 
harrow. 

The  depth  to  which  the  disk  cuts  and  the  amount  of  dirt 
thrown  varies  with  the  angle  given  the  disk,  the  kind  of  soil, 
and  the  weight  of  the  man  on  the  harrow.  The  draft  of  the 
disk  harrow  as  generally  used  is  considerable  for  it  moves  much 

45 


A  field  before  starting  to  prepare  a  cotton  seed  bed 

The  first  step  in  the  preparation  of  the  cotton  seed  bed 

The  seed  bed  completed 


46 


dirt,  and  often  cuts  to  a  depth  of  several  inches.  Its  best  work 
is  generally  done  with  three  or  more  animals,  though  two 
animals  may  do  well  on  a  harrow  with  no  more  than  8,  16  or 
18-inch  disks.  When  cultivating  crops  there  is  no  necessity 
for  more  than  two  good  ariimals. 

As  a  cultivator,  the  reversi  ble  extension  head  disk  harrow 
cannot  be  excelled.  The  gangs  can  be  used  close  together  or 
wide  apart;  the  gangs  can  be  arranged  to  throw  the  dirt  towards 
or  away  from  the  plants  and  to  work  higher  or  lower  on  the 
inner  than  the  outer  ends  and  vice  versa;  they  can  be  set  to 
throw  ridges  to  the  plants  or  set  to  "bar  off;"  they  can  be  set 
to  cut  shallow  close  to  the  plants  and  deeper  near  the  center  of 
the  row. 

The  action  of  the  disks  upon  the  soil  makes  the  disk  harrow 
a  most  excellent  cultivator.  The  disks  thoroughly  pulverize 
the  surface  of  the  soil,  destroy  the  grass  and  weeds,  leave  the 
under  soil  compact  and  a  fine  soil  mulch  spread  all  over  the  land. 
The  roots  of  the  growing  plants  are  undisturbed,  especially 
when  the  inner  ends  of  the  gangs  are  set  higher  than  the  outer 
ends  in  cultivating  plants  on  beds. 

For  cultivating  cotton,  potatoes,  peanuts  and  other  crops 
that  have  to  be  hilled,  the  disk  harrow  is  especially  valuable 
because  it  can  be  set  to  ridge  the  hills  at  the  right  height  and 
the  dirt  which  is  hilled  around  the  plants  is  thoroughly  pulver- 
ized and  cultivated,  so  that  only  fine  soil  makes  the  hills.  A 
fender  may  be  used  when  cultivating  small  crops.  The  disk 
harrow  is  probably  the  best  implement  to  use  in  hilling  cotton 
and  other  crops  grown  on  ridges. 

A  turning  plow  is  out  of  place  in  a  crop.  If  the  soil  is 
devoid  of  vegetable  matter  and  runs  together  after  a  heavy  rain 
or  if  it  rains  for  two  or  three  weeks  and  it  becomes  necessary  to 
bury  grass,  we  can  give  a  large  angle  to  the  disks  and  set  the 
gangs  to  outthrow  and  "bar  off"  the  little  cotton  or  other  small 
plants  or  we  can  set  the  gangs  to  inthrow  and  give  the  disks  the 
necessary  angle  to  cover  the  grass  and  weeds  and  thoroughly 
pulverize  the  soil.    One  man  with  two  horses  and  a  disk  harrow 

4V 


Cultivating  cotton  with  a  reversible  disk  harrow  throwing  dirt  away  from  the  plant 
Throwing  dirt  toward  the  plant 
A  cotton  field  after  cultivation 


can  take  a  row  of  cotton  or  corn  at  one  time  and  destroy  the 
grass  and  weeds  and  make  a  fine  soil  mulch  out  of  the  hardest, 
sun-baked  soil.  An  extension  standard  is  furnished  with  the 
latest  reversible  extension  head  harrow  which  raises  the  frame 
hig-h  enough  so  that  cotton,  corn  or  other  crops  can  be  ''laid  by" 
with  this  implement. 

The  gangs  can  be  set  at  different  angles  for  hillside  cultiva- 
tion. This  is  a  very  important  point  to  the  man  whose  farm  is 
in  a  rolling  country,  as  he  will  appreciate  the  fact  that  a  disk 
harrow,  particularly  in  loose  soil,  will  tend  to  work  down  the 
hillside.  This  can  be  obviated  by  setting  the  uphill  gang  to 
work  with  a  little  greater  cutting  angle  than  the  other  gang; 
thus  causing  the  harrow  to  work  in  a  straight  line  on  the  hill- 
side. 

The  double  disk  harrow  is  desirable  for  farmers  who  wish  to 
do  two  diskings  at  the  same  time.  It  has  four  sections,  two  of 
which  throw  the  dirt  out,  followed  by  two  more  which  throw  the 
dirt  in,  leaving  the  land  level  and  smooth  after  its  use.  The 
land  is  generally  left  somewhat  ridged  with  the  single  disk  even 
though  half,  as  nearly  as  possible,  is  lapped  on  the  land  already 
worked.  The  double  disk  requires  more  horse  power  than  the 
single  disk,  but  the  ground  is  double-disked  in  the  quickest 
possible  time  and  left  in  a  very  fine  level  condition.  The  main 
advantage  of  the  double  disk  other  than  saving  labor  is  that 
you  can  remove  the  rear  attachment  very  quickly  and  easily, 
and  convert  it  into  a  single  disk  harrow. 

The  cutaway  harrow  is  a  disk  harrow  with  the  edges  of  the 
disk  notched  or  with  portions  of  the  disks  cut  out.  This  lets 
the  remaining  portions  cut  deeper  into  the  soil.  It  is  useful  in 
cutting  up  sod  and  also  in  hard  and  rocky  ground  as  it  pene- 
trates better  and  gets  down  between  the  rocks  where  the  plain 
disks  would  roll  over  the  rocks.  It  does  not  pulverize  as  well 
as  the  solid  disk  and  hence  should  seldom  be  used  when  the 
other  will  do  good  work. 


49 


Important  Uses  of  the  Disk  Harrow 

By  H.  D.  ScuDDER 

Professor  of  Agronomy,  Oregon  Agricultural  College 

While  we  consider  the  disk  harrow  one  of  the  most  valuable 
all-around  tools  upon  any  farm,  it  is  as  yet  very  little  used  in 
Oregon,  owing,  perhaps,  to  the  lack  of  intensive  tillage  meth- 
ods. While  Western  Oregon  is  adapted  to  the  most  intensive 
forms  of  agriculture,  it  is  just  beginning  to  become  developed 
for  this  purpose,  hence  there  will  be,  no  doubt,  a  very  greatly 
increased  demand  for  the  disk  harrow.  This  Station  has  car- 
ried out  no  experiments  with  the  specific  object  in  view  to  de- 
termine the  exact  value  of  the  disk  harrow,  but  the  machine  is 
used  in  practically  all  of  our  Station  farm  work  and  from  con- 
tinued use  we  know  something  of  its  especial  value  in  farm 
work.  In  Western  Oregon  its  greatest  value  is  in  preparing  a 
seed  bed;  following  the  plow  in  the  spring  we  nearly 
always  use  the  common  drag  harrow  and  after  this  the  disk 
harrow,  lapping  as  we  go  round  with  this  machine,  making  it  a 
double  disking.  This  generally  is  sufficient  to  prepare  the  grain 
land  for  the  drill  or,  w^here  a  more  finely  pulverized  seed  bed  is 
required  for  the  sowing  of  small  seed,  perhaps  one  or  two  har- 
rowings  with  the  common  drag  harrow  will  complete  the  work. 
Often  on  very  tough,  soddy  and  cloddy  ground  the  disk  harrow 
is  used  more  than  once  and  some  form  of  clod  crusher  also. 

Another  excellent  use  of  the  disk  harrow  is  in  disking  up 
stubble  in  the  fall  and  carrying  the  ground  through  the  winter 
in  good  shape.  The  cutting  of  the  stubble  with  the  disk  and 
working  up  of  the  surface  causes  the  decay  of  the  organic  mat- 
ter and  also  a  greater  absorption  of  the  winter's  precipitation, 
preventing  to  a  considerable  extent  surface  washing  and  aiding 
in  holding  the  snow.  The  ground  disked  in  the  fall  is  always, 
as  a  rule,  better  prepared  for  plowing  in  the  spring,  no  crust 
having  been  formed  and  thus  fewer  clods  being  turned  under  in 
plowing,  so  that  a  better  union  between  the  seed  bed  and  the 
ground  underneath  is  effected. 

51 


52 


The  use  of  the  disk  harrow  on  stubble  land  early  in  the 
spring  before  spring  plowing  starts,  we  also  find  very  advanta- 
geous for  much  the  same  reasons  as  the  fall  disking.  In 
addition,  however,  it  aids  greatly  in  for.l  land  in  germinating  all 
the  weed  seed  on  the  surface  of  the  ground  which  later  will 
be  turned  under  with  the  spring  plowing. 

Again,  on  the  land  which  for  several  years  has  been  deeply 
plowed  and  which  has  been  plowed  in  the  spring  of  the  last 
season,  we  find  that  by  using  a  disk  harrow  thoroughly  and 
setting  it  deep,  we  can  prepare  a  good  seed  bed  for  fall  seeding 
and  use  fall  sown  wheat,  oats,  barley,  and  our  great  hay  crop, 
vetch  and  oats,  or  vetch  and  rye.  Where  the  disk  harrow  is 
used  to  prepare  ground  for  fall  seeding,  it  should  always  be 
land  that  has  been  deeply  plowed  in  the  spring  of  the  same 
year. 

We  also  find  that  the  disk  harrow  is  of  great  use  in  prepar- 
ing a  deep  mulch  on  bare,  fallowed  land  which  is  set  either  to 
orchard  or  any  other  crop.  The  disking  prepares  a  deep  mulch 
for  the  retention  of  moisture  and  also  is  very  effective  in 
getting  rid  of  persistent  weeds. 

A  lesser  use  of  the  disk  harrow  is  in  the  disking  of  the 
alfalfa  fields  early  in  the  spring.  Setting  the  disk  straight  and 
weighting  the  machine  and  running  it  crosswise  cuts  up  the 
surface  of  the  alfalfa  field  and,  when  followed  by  a  spring 
tooth  or  common  drag  harrow,  effectively  prepares  the  loosened 
surface  and  mulch  and  does  away  with  grass  and  other  sod- 
forming  weeds  that  injure  the  alfalfa,  and,  in  fact,  greatly 
benefits  it  by  splitting  the  crowns  and  thickening  the  stand. 
The  loosened  surface  we  find  especially  effective  in  promoting  an 
expansion  of  the  root  crowns,  as  well  as  in  furnishing  a  mulch 
which  aids  in  conserving  moisture  and  increasing  beneficial 
activities. 

Another  use  of  the  disk  harrow  which  we  find  of  especial 
value  in  Oregon,  is  in  connection  with  the  plowing  under  of 
cover  crops  as  green  manures — a  very  common  practice  not 
only  in  orchard  lands  but  in  other  kinds  of  farming  as  well. 

53 


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Sometimes  we  run  the  disk  over  the  green  cover  crops  before 
plowing,  crushing-  them  down  and  cutting"  so  that  where  they 
are  heavy  they  will  turn  under  better.  And  more  important 
still,  however,  after  the  cover  crop  is  plowed  under  we  follow 
immediately  with  a  drag  harrow,  then  with  a  disk  harrow. 
The  disk  compresses  and  cuts  in  the  plowed  soil  through  the 
layer  of  green  material,  thus  preventing  its  drying  out  and 
causing  it  to  decay  much  more  rapidly,  becoming  incorporated 
with  the  soil  as  humus.  We  often  use  the  disk  harrow  in  the 
same  way  with  the  barn  yard  manure,  running  over  the 
manured  land  with  the  machine  before  plowing  under  the 
manure. 

While  there  are  many  other  uses  of  this  valuable  machine 
which  I  have  not  mentioned,  to  my  mind,  these  are  the  most 
important,  making  the  machine,  in  my  estimation,  one  of 
paramount  importance  for  all  such  intensive  forms  of  agri- 
culture as  require  thorough  tillage  for  the  highest  successful 
production. 


55 


Starting  to  disk  a  cornstalk  field 

Note  the  short  stalks  and  pulverized  condition  of  the  ground  upon  completion 
of  the  disking 


56 


The  Disk  Harrow 


By  W.  M.  Jardine 

Professor  of  Agronomy,  Kansas  State  Agricultural  College 

According  to  experiments  now  under 
way  at  the  Kansas  State  Agricultural 
College  and  at  various  sub-stations  in 
different  parts  of  the  state,  the  disk  har- 
row may  be  profitably  employed  in  the 
preparation  of  a  seed  bed  for  almost 
every  farm  crop  grown  in  the  state. 
While  special  experiments  have  not  been 
running  sufficiently  long  to  give  definite 
comparative  yields,  indications  are  that 
when  the  disk  harrow  is  intelligently 
used,  with  respect  to  time,  depth  and 
thoroughness,  yields  can  be  substantially  increased,  often 
doubled,  as  a  result.  This  statement  is  also  borne  out  by 
observations  made  among  progressive  farmers  over  the  state 
who  are  making  good  use  of  the  disk  harrow.  Within  the  last 
six  years,  its  use  among  farmers  has  become  almost  as  uni- 
versal as  that  of  the  plow. 

Kansas  farmers  are  coming  to  realize  that  the  disk  harrow 
has  a  broader  application  than  simply  as  an  efficient  implement 
with  which  to  subdue  raw  soils,  firm  and  pulverize  plowed  land 
for  seeding,  and  eradicate  weeds  under  certain  conditions.  This 
wider  application  comes  as  a  result  of  the  gradual  development 
of  a  more  perfect  type  of  harrow  and  its  more  intelligent  use 
by  the  farmer. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  special  purposes  to  which  the 
disk  is  now  devoted  in  this  state:  Disking  stubble  land  in  July 
after  a  crop  of  wheat,  oats  or  barley  has  been  taken  from  the 
field,  in  preparation  for  summer  or  autumn  planting  of  such 
crops  as  cowpeas,  alfalfa  or  grasses;  disking  stubble  lands 
immediately  after  removing  a  crop,  to  facilitate  summer  or 
early  autumn  plowing  in  preparation  for  the  planting  of  winter 

57 


58 


wheat;  disking  corn-stalk  ground  in  early  spring  for  planting 
to  oats,  barley,  spring  wheat,  alfalfa,  etc.  We  find  that  in  the 
eastern  two-thirds  of  the  state  alfalfa  can  be  started  to  better 
advantage  when  planted  in  autumn  than  when  planted  in  the 
spring,  provided  a  thoroughly  firmed  seed  bed  can  be  estab- 
lished. A  common  practice,  therefore,  is  to  grow  some  early 
spring-planted  and  early  maturing  crop,  such  as  wheat,  oats  or 
barley,  after  which  the  ground  is  prepared  with  the  disk  and 
seeded  to  alfalfa  in  late  August.  If  the  land  is  plowed,  the  time 
elapsing  between  harvesting  and  planting  is  too  skort  to  allow 
the  soil  to  become  thoroughly  firmed  into  an  ideal  seed  bed, 
even  with  considerable  disking.  On  the  other  hand,  however, 
disking  without  plowing  has  become  recognized  as  the  efficient 
method  of  placing  such  lands  in  condition  for  alfalfa — hence  its 
general  use.  Both  money  and  time  are  saved  in  this  way  and 
a  crop  often  established  where  otherwise  it  would  have  been 
impossible.  Likewise,  a  firm  seed  bed  is  necessary  in  which  to 
plant  cowpeas  in  July  after  small  grains  have  been  removed 
from  the  field.  Cowpeas  are  becoming  recognized  as  a  valuable 
crop  to  grow  after  a  small  grain  crop,  the  same  season.  A 
considerable  acreage  is  planted  in  this  way  each  year,  with  the 
area  constantly  increasing.  The  seed  bed  is  usually  prepared 
by  disking  rather  than  by  plowing,  because  it  can  be  done  more 
effectively  and  more  economically. 

The  rainy  season  of  Kansas  usually  terminates  in  early 
August.  That  is  to  say,  very  little  rain  falls,  ordinarily,  be- 
tween the  15th  of  August  and  the  first  of  October.  Autumn 
plowing,  therefore,  is  made  rather  difficult  unless  the  moisture 
precipitated  earlier  in  the  season  is  retained  in  the  soil.  Disk- 
ing immediately  behind  the  header  or  binder  (to  establish  a 
soil  mulch  and  thereby  retain  moisture)  is  widely  practiced 
among  good  farmers.  In  this  way  July  plowing  is  made  pos- 
sible with  a  consequent  larger  yield  of  wheat,  usually  double 
what  it  is  on  land  equally  as  good  but  not  disked  or  plowed 
until  late  August. 

We  find  that  cornstalk  ground  will  produce  more  oats  to 

59 


An  orchard  disk  harrow  in  a  California  orange  grove 

The  extension  orchard  disk  harrow  enables  the  driver  to  cultivate  all  the  ground 
under  the  trees  without  injury  to  the  fruit 


60 


the  acre  if  it  is  simply  thoroughly  disked  and  harrowed  before 
planting  in  early  spring  than  if  it  is  spring  plowed,  disked  and 
harrowed.  In  fact  we  find  that  the  yield  is  as  large  and 
sometimes  larger,  from  simply  disking  early  in  the  spring, 
than  when  the  same  kind  of  land  is  fall  plowed,  then  disked 
and  harrowed  in  the  spring.  In  other  words,  cornstalk  land 
plowed  in  the  fall  and  disked  and  harrowed  in  the  spring 
versus  cornstalk  land  simply  disked  and  harrowed  early  in  the 
spring  and  planted  to  oats  gives  about  equally  good  results, 
except  that  the  disking  alone  is  much  the  cheaper  practice. 

In  the  western  part  of  the  state,  where  dry  farming  is  prac- 
ticed, the  disk  harrow  is  used  to  firm  and  pack  the  subsoil  by 
running  the  disks  straight  and  weighting  them.  By  such  use 
the  farmer  is  able  to  do  the  work  of  a  sub-surface  packer  and 
thereby  save  the  price  of  another  implement.  In  dry  farming 
where  the  conservation  of  moisture  is  of  prime  importance,  the 
disk  harrow  is  indispensable.  By  the  use  of  the  plow  the 
water  precipitated  is  allowed  to  sink  deep  into  the  soil,  while 
the  disk  is  used  to  surface-mulch  the  soil,  thereby  holding  the 
soil  moisture  from  evaporating.  In  accomplishing  this  an  ideal 
seed  bed  is  established  as  well. 

He  who  would  till  the  soil  best  in  Kansas  today,  whether 
he  be  located  in  eastern,  central  or  western  Kansas,  must  make 
full  use  of  the  disk  harrow. 


61 


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